Kuih Lapis
Confectionery, Pastry September 27th, 2007
Kuih Lapis has got to rank probably one of my favourite cakes. Also known as Layered Cake, Kuih Lapis is said to have originated from Indonesia and it is quite a labourious cake to bake as it involves baking the cake layer by layer. The layer is usually paper thin and it can be quite fun peeling it off layer by layer to eat them. This cake is also quite sweet and it is best sliced thinly across the layers and consumed in small portions. Somehow, eating them in big slices does not give the kind of pleasure when you eat them in thin slices whilst admiring the layers.
My mother-in-law learnt this recipe from an Indonesian many years back and she bakes this cake annually. Though you might say that I am partial, I must say that her Kuih Lapis is the best I’ve eaten so far. Try out the recipe for Kuih Lapis here. It’s worth the work!
This is my mother-in-law’s recipe for Kuih Lapis
Ingredients
(A)
- 350 grammes butter
- ½ tin condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon full mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essense
- 2 teaspoon rum or brandy
- 1 tablespoon almond or cashew nut powder
(B)
- 18 egg yolks (cold)
- 3 egg whites (cold)
- 100 grammes flour
- 180 grammes sugar
- 1 tablespoon ovalette
- 25 ml cold water
Method
Beat (A) till light.
Beat (B) using low speed before gradually increasing speed and beat till stiff .
Fold (A) mixture into the (B) mixture and then grill layer by layer till finished. The grill must be hot and the procedure must be fast. When done, place cake into oven temperature no. 4 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
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September 27th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I love this kuih lapis! Chinese new year I visit you ok? I’m too lazy to bake layer by layer…
Welcome back!
September 27th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
if i am not mistaken, this is the cake that require the most patience.
September 27th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Your mum-in-law knows how to make Kuih lapis. You are so lucky!!!!!! That looks really yummy!
September 27th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Looks wonderful – I need some recipes for
my site – may I borrow it (with credit
duly given of course)?
Liz
September 28th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Reminds me of CNY too! This is the classic.
Modern version come with prunes in it.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
ParisB : You’ll have to come visit me on Chap Goh Mei then as I’ll be spending most of CNY in Kuching
clement : I think so too
Reese : I am very lucky indeed!
Liz : Well, I would prefer that you only quote a portion of the recipe with a link back instead rather than a full recipe. Thanks.
tigerfish : Ar? Got prunes kah? That’s almost butchering the cake!
October 5th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
hei, tell me where can i buy this layer cake ? looks so delicious… Do they courier to my place ????
October 8th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Raymond : Whoa! This cake was baked by my mother-in-law and she’s in Kuching. You serious ah?
May 8th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
what is that means ” Fold (A) mixture into the (B) mixture and then grill layer by layer till finished. The grill must be hot and the procedure must be fast. When done, place cake into oven temperature no. 4 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.”
“then grill layer by layer till finished”???how to grill??can i bake it layer by layer instead of grill?
u mean just bake ” 5 minute” only..oh my gosh..so fast..
May 8th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
elsa : The layered cake is grilled layer by layer. That means you pour a thin layer (1 or 2 mm) onto your baking pan, place pan under a top grill, grill till browned and repeat process till all mixture is used. After that, you place the whole cake into the oven. If you bake it instead of grilling, the whole cake would be overbaked.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I want to try making kuih lapis at least once. Please, what is ovalette? Is it something like Ovaltine (a chocolate flavoured drink like Milo). I had kuih lapis once in Penang, it was lovely!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Australian Joy : Ovalette is a type of cake emulsifier. It looks like stiff egg yolk and helps the eggs to rise rapidly and stiffly. It also helps the beaten eggs to remain stable and not lose the airy and voluminous texture. So, it has absolutely nothing to do with Ovaltine.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hi,
Just a wild thought. I wonder what happens if we didn’t do it layer by layer but bake it as a whole cake, will the result be disastrous? Please comment.Tks
June 13th, 2008 at 10:00 am
cakeky : LOL! It would still be a cake but it won’t be known as Kuih Lapis or Layered Cake.
January 31st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Thanks for sharing the recepi online…though i have not try it yet but im sure it’s good.Let u know the result soon
February 17th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
kuih lapis, or lapis legit as we call it in indo, is my favourite too..
Yours looked amazing.
Try making a green tea or chocolate version, it’s to DIE for!
April 7th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
hi any sub for ovalette? can i use cream of tartar instead?
April 12th, 2009 at 5:10 am
What if I don’t have Ovalette?? Would the recipe still work? Also, how much batter does this yield, i.e. what size pan should I use?
Thank you!
- R
July 11th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hi. I was wondering what is in the “Full mix spice” and where can we normally get this?
I’ve also tasted the kuih lapis with prunes, bought from a bakery in Johor 6 years back. It was really nice. Any ideas on how I can add the prunes into the cake when we have to grill it layer by layer? Their prunes are pitted & whole, in between the layers…. quite amazing!
Thanks!
July 24th, 2009 at 12:07 am
i live in the u.k where can i purchase ovalette or can i subsitute it for something else?
July 27th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
your kuih lapis is very nice or not?i hope it is very nice…i will try it to do soon..ok?!
September 14th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hi ,
You indicated ingredients. What is A1/2 condensed milk
(A)
350 grammes butter
½ tin condensed milk
1 teaspoon full mixed spice
1 teaspoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essense
2 teaspoon rum or brandy
1 tablespoon almond or cashew nut powder
October 17th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hi,
I finally made an attempt to bake this kuih lapis. The process was not as difficult as I thought it would be! The cake turned out fantastic but a little too sweet though. My son has been it’s ardent fan since yesterday.
It’s worth the efforts, so try it everybody. Cheers and a big ‘thank you’to Pablo
November 18th, 2009 at 8:37 am
where to get those ingredients ?
December 10th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Connie : You should be able to get them in a well-stocked supermarket or baking store.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Valerie : The blog editor gave me some problems. It’s 1/2 tin.
January 2nd, 2010 at 10:49 am
Hi, I like this stuff, but can’t imagine how this process:
————–
The layered cake is grilled layer by layer. That means you pour a thin layer (1 or 2 mm) onto your baking pan, place pan under a top grill, grill till browned and repeat process till all mixture is used.
—————
Aprreacite if you could show us with video when you re-make this cake in future.
TQ — lmk
February 28th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Can you let me know the amount of condensed milk used as in your 1/2 tin cos we have condensed milk packed in different sizes now.
September 8th, 2010 at 12:22 am
Hi there!
I want to bake my own kek lapis too!!! Did you use a big or small tin of condensed milk?
July 13th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
just to add..
u know there is a number of kuih lapis?
here’s the list of kuih lapis that i know :
1.kek span(sponge cake)
2.kek cinderealla (cinderealla cake)
3.kek lumut(i dont know what lumut mean’s in malay thought)
4. kek sarawak(sarawak cake)
every kuih lapis has there own unique ways of taste.
P.S: i know all of these because my mother love to bake cake and the one whose eating it is my family.my mother only like to bake cake as a hobby and dislike eating cake. that why i know all of these and wanted to share the informations.(did i type to long)?
July 13th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
oh, and one more think.
if u want to bake kek lapis lumut,
u need to STEAM them in a stove and not by BAKING them in oven.
April 26th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Hi, I am from Singapore and I would like to know what u mean by beat (a) till light? Your LIGHT meaning is???